How to Clone Windows to NVMe [2025 Full Guide]

How to clone Windows 11 to new NVMe drive or a used one? This article guides you through checking and preparing the necessary items before cloning Windows to NVMe, provides specific steps for cloning Windows to NVMe, and explains how to boot from an NVMe drive.

NVMe refers to Non-Volatile Memory express. It is the host controller interface used to connect SSD. It has replaced the SATA interface in many instances due to its high read speeds, low latency, and low consumption. The speed of booting Windows from NVMe SSD will be optimized and enhanced. That's why the NVMe interface is already built into many computers as a standard.

If you want higher computer read and write speeds, or want to upgrade your Windows 11/10 system, it is a good idea to clone Windows from SSD to NVMe. This article will provide a quick way to avoid installing Windows on NVMe and run Windows on an NVMe SSD. Let's see how this works.

How to Clone Windows to NVMe

You can clone Windows to NVMe with professional disk cloning software, but there are some preparations you need to take care of before cloning. Let's examine these additional actions and explore a detailed, step-by-step approach to help us successfully clone Windows to NVMe. 

Phase 1. Preparations before Cloning Windows 11 to NVMe

Phase 2. Steps to Clone Windows to NVMe

Phase 3. Boot from the NVMe Drive 

Phase 1. Preparations before Cloning Windows 11 to NVMe

The infographic below provides an overview of the preparatory steps involved. You can check it first and have a closer look at the corresponding step.

1. Prepare newer computer hardware. NVMe works better with Skylake chipsets or higher.

2. If it is a new NVMe SSD, initialize it to GPT format by these clicks:

• Connect the new NVMe SSD to your PC > press Win + X > select Disk Management to open it > the NVMe SSD labeled as Not Initialized > right-click on this SSD drive > choose Initialize Disk > choose MBR or GPT > click OK.

3. After setting the GPT partition style, ensure your PC supports UEFI boot mode:

4. If your NVMe SSD is used, back up all essential data using Windows backup features or EaseUS Todo Backup Free to the target NVMe SSD, as the cloned data will overwrite the existing data.

5. Ensure that the available space on the NVMe SSD is larger than the space allocated for data on the source disk within Windows.

6. Download professional cloning software, such as EaseUS Partition Master, to help you quickly clone Windows to NVMe.

7. Connect the new NVMe drive:

• Install internally: If your motherboard has an empty M.2 slot, turn off your PC and unplug it before adding the new NVMe drive.
• Use an adapter: If there are no empty slots available, you can use a PCIe expansion card to fit the NVMe drive inside the computer.
• Use an external enclosure: For an easier setup, consider using an external NVMe enclosure that connects to your PC via a USB-C or USB-A cable.

Phase 2. Steps to Clone Windows to NVMe

You can use EaseUS Partition Master to clone partitions and clone systems. It supports SSD 4K alignment, which helps resolve SSD cloning issues and maintain optimal SSD performance. It features a user-friendly interface and is compatible with all Windows users. 

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Partition Master, go to the Disk Clone tab, select "Clone OS Disk" and click "Next". 

Step 2. Select the target new drive where you want to clone the OS to, and click "Next".

Click "Yes" to confirm that you want to continue the OS disk cloning process.

Step 3. View the disk layout, and click "Start" to begin the OS cloning process.

Step 4. When the process completes, you'll see a confirming message, asking "if you want to start up computer from the clone target disk". 

• Reboot Now means to reboot your PC and configure the computer to boot OS from the new disk immediately.
• Done means you want to make the changes later. 

If you meet any problems during this process, click the following link to get help.

Phase 3. Boot from the NVMe Drive 

Once the cloning is complete, you can set the NVMe SSD as the boot disk and boot your computer from the NVMe. If you don't know how to set up the boot disk, please refer to the following simple steps.

Step 1. Click F2/F8/Del to enter BIOS setup.

Step 2. Change the boot disk and set the NVMe SSD as the boot drive.

Step 3. Save the settings and exit.

The above describes how to clone Windows to NVMe with EaseUS Partition Master and how to set the target drive as a bootable drive. In addition to the cloning feature, EaseUS Partition Master has many more features:

If you are interested, click the link above to see the exact cloning method. If you have other problems related to disk partition, you can download EaseUS Partition Master for help.

Conclusion 

If you want to clone Windows to NVMe for faster read/write speeds, you can use EaseUS Partition Master. This article provides detailed tutorials on preparing for cloning before using the tool and how to use the professional cloning tool. If you have any cloning related or partition related issues like formatting partitions, or resizing partitions. You can use this tool to solve your problems.

FAQs About How to Clone Windows to NVMe

This section lists other frequently asked questions about cloning Windows to NVMe. Please check out the questions and answers below if you have other questions. 

1. Can you put Windows on NVMe?

You can put Windows on NVMe. And here are two ways to put Windows on NVMe. You can download and reinstall Windows on NVMe SSD. Or you can use EaseUS Partition Master to clone the system and partition to NVMe.

2. How do I convert Windows to NVMe?

Download EaseUS Partition Master and easily migrate Windows to NVMe SSD without reinstalling the system. And the software is very easy to use.

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Partition Master and select "Disk Clone" on the left side.

Step 2. Choose "Clone OS disk" and click "Next."

Step 3. Select target drive and click "Next" to continue.

Step 4. Click "Yes" and choose "Start" to begin the cloning process. 

3. Can you make NVMe bootable?

You can make NVMe bootable. You need to clone the OS to the NVMe SSD first. Then go to BIOS setup and change the boot order. And set the target drive to be bootable.

• The NVMe SSD disk will now be shown as Online, but with Unallocated space. Please right-click on the unallocated space > select New Simple Volume to set the partition size, assign a drive letter, and choose a file system (usually NTFS).
  • Restart your PC > keep pressing Esc, Delete, F1, F2, F10, F11, or F12 until you enter BIOS > go to the Boot or Boot Options menu > look for options such as Boot Mode, UEFI/BIOS Boot Mode, Legacy Boot, or CSM.
  • If you see an option for UEFI Mode (or the ability to disable Legacy or CSM), your PC supports UEFI boot. Then, set the mode to UEFI Only. 
  • Format NVMe SSD
  • Clone HDD to SSD
  • Clone Windows to new SSD
  • Clone Windows to another drive